A well prognosis (prog) is generally understood in the drilling industry to be a detailed and lengthy document containing specifications, goals, plans, etc. for drilling and completing a well, and most drilling companies have a preferred format and structure for their progs. However, there is no universal standardization for progs, and therefore each company's format and structure is generally distinct. However, despite the distinctive structure and format of progs, there are certain types of information, generally referred to herein as critical information, that are generally included in every prog. Critical information may be distinguishable or identified by particular elements in the prog, such as words, characters, symbols, or phrases that are generally associated with the particular critical information. These identifying elements generally indicate to one skilled in the drilling art that a particular event, activity, routine, occurrence, or other happening, within the drilling operation is being addressed in the prog. The information contained in the prog adjacent to these identifying elements is likely to pertain to the corresponding event indicated by the identifying elements (simply by proximity). These corresponding events may be action items that require some action to be taken to ensure that the event is performed according to the prog.
An example of an event for which information is typically included in a drilling operation prog may include a general description of the well to be drilled. This general description may be considered to be an objective of the prog. In a drilling operation, other activities generally detailed in a prog may include operational instructions based on well depth, spud details, such as the drive pipe depth, cementing details, filing of governmental forms, running surface pipe, when to order more pipe or cement, testing the shoe, intermediate casing completion, liner run, reaching total depth, logs to run, notifications to make, well log samples to deliver, information of interest about the formation, including depths for expected overpressure and depletion, disaster plans, logging run notifications, sample distributions lists, joint service agreements (“JSA's”) for specific tasks, other well control procedures, directional programs, expected days versus depth data, etc.
It would be a valuable addition to the field to provide an automated system having a computer system and an action item development engine, where the system would assist an operator to compile and assess a detailed well prog in order to identify potential action items, define actions to be taken upon encountering the identified action item, and document the defined actions in order to trigger automated alerts and reminders to take the actions when a particular action item is encountered. Such a system would enable methods of compiling, assessing, and documenting detailed project plans, including assessing a project plan for potential action items, defining and documenting actions to be taken upon encountering actual action items, and executing the project plan, providing alerts and reminders of actions to be taken when particular action items are encountered. The response to the alerts and the actions taken as the result of process could then be recorded versus the timeline or schedule of the program to close the loop on the collaboration process.